The Daring One
by Inki Feathers
Summary: Doreen, the daughter of Dirk the Daring and Princess Daphne, has longed to become more than just a girl who learns combat on the side. One day, she finds out about a school that takes in female squires. Soon, Doreen is off to Camelot to take part in the school's tough fighting curriculum, but she soon learns about things that the school can barely teach her.
1. Chapter 1

**Brief Intro**

**This is PURELY an experimental project. Basically, I wanted to see what happens when you take two beloved but not-exactly-great works (well, it's up for debate, I guess…) and mix them together. Lots of wiki research involved, but I hope the result is fun to read as it was to write! If you would like to read more, let me know. Feedback would be appreciated!**

Nine boys. Four girls. Dominic, Damien, Derek, Donald, Dillon, Dickon, David, Darryl, Douglas, Delilah, Danielle, Diana, Doreen. You learn to live with a big family pretty quickly, especially if you're one of the oldest children.

You would think that I really didn't have to. After all, Dominic and Damien, my two older brothers, could protect us all alongside Dad. But as I ended up getting more siblings, I soon learned that even I had to be a little rough as well, because how are you supposed to manage all of those young'uns if you can't law down the law at times?

I remember that during playtime, I would automatically be given the part of the dragon and would have to fight against Dominic and Damien while the rest of my siblings cheered for them. And soon that's what they called me. "Doreen the Dragon." Of course, Dad wouldn't let them for long because, ultimately, the dragon was "the bad guy", and I couldn't be the bad guy forever. But actually, I preferred being the enemy at times. It forced me to be competitive, and I loved it.

Mom honestly wasn't that fond of it. She had been chased by enough dragons in her youth. Of course, Dominic would retaliate by saying that if it wasn't for a dragon, she wouldn't have met Dad in the first place. True, Mom would say, but that doesn't mean you must make your sister one. She's a lady first, after all.

By lady first, Mom meant that she expected me to look as beautiful as possible so that someday a young, dashing man will sweep me off my feet. This attitude was to be expected from the youngest of the royal children of the kingdom of Blyer, which she happened to be. Oh, my mother and I get along well, but we have our differences. But it could be worse. I could have had a mother like her mother, Queen Hilda. But luckily, Queen Hilda is my grandmother, and she's already made up her mind not to meddle too much in her younger daughter's affairs. It's a long story, but let's just say that there were some problems between her and Dad in the past.

To put it this way, I have three younger sisters, and they are all following my mother's advice quite well. They love playing the princesses in the stories, and they aspire to meet their future husbands in the same way Mom met Dad. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, but I just can't feel that way. Why? I don't know, actually. Maybe years of being an older sibling gave me the mentality that I had to be doing something else for my wacky family.

As I got older, it became clearer and clearer to me what I should be doing. When we were younger, Dominic, Damien, and I were used to doing chores and we would love to spar with the cutlery (much to Mom's chagrin). Sometimes, I would win, although both Dominic and Damien would concede that they had "let me." When I was old enough, Dad let me ride on his horse Bertram, and ever since then, I wanted to go horseback riding every day. While my sisters and I went outside to pick wild berries, I would often practice my target skills by throwing berries at them.

Dominic soon started taking private combat lessons under one of father's friends—a knight named Sir Timothy. And afterwards, it was time for Damien to do so as well. Very soon, I was expecting the same. However, Dad told me otherwise.

"Why can't I take lessons too?" I protested. "I can fight just as well as Dominic and Damien."

"I know you can, Doreen," said Dad, "but you're already a princess—you won't really need to use these skills. Plus, you know what your mother would say."

I looked down and hung my head with a sigh. This I already knew. But then, I lifted my head up and said, "Well, I want to at least learn a little. What if you and Dominic and Damien are not around, and someone has to protect Mommy and the others?"

Dad thought about it. He knew that I was getting better at some of the skills he had somewhat taught me. Eventually, he allowed me to take private fighting lessons with Sir Timothy, under the condition that I finished all of my chores first and did not tell Mom. This I agreed to wholeheartedly. For the next few years, I learned the art of combat under Sir Timothy alongside my brothers. At least when I was around, our training was in secret, for people in Blyer would certainly laugh at the idea of a girl learning combat alongside other men. I was also the last of the private students Sir Timothy took, for he had already sworn not to take any more by the time Dad asked him to teach me; the rest of my brothers went to other good knights for training, including Sir Samuel the Mighty and Sir Joseph Christanaroth.

Sir Timothy and I grew close as teacher and student, and he was willing to show me everything he knew about combat. He had daughters, but none of them were that interested in fighting, so perhaps for him it was interesting to see whether he could shape a female student to fight as well as a male one. Meanwhile, Dominic started taking an interest in Sir Timothy's daughter, Clara, and I wondered if someday they would wed.

As I got older, it became clear that I was learning much more than what was intended. If I were male, I would have been expected to eventually become a squire, but I knew that this was not expected of me. However, one day, after a practice duel against him, Sir Timothy sat me down for a long talk.

"You have become an excellent fighter, Doreen," he said. "I cannot bear to see your potential go to waste. Answer me honestly—if you could, would you like to be a knight?"

I looked up at him, thinking to myself. I had longed to be a knight, this was true. "If there was any way I could, I would try."

"Then listen to me. I have heard of a school far away—a school that permits female squires."

My eyes lit up—I could not believe it. "Is this true?"

"Yes, and from what I heard, it has grown to have quite a reputation. The program is very rigorous, and they would train you in ways that I cannot even comprehend."

I was struck with awe, and yet, I started to feel sad. "Then…I would no longer be your student."

"I'm afraid it would have to be this way. But if you were to enroll in this school, you could learn so much more than if I were to continue to train you."

"And my family? What about them?"

"I will talk to your father…_and_ your mother too." He added the last part before I could even finish his sentence. "If I tell them that you have the potential to succeed, they will have to believe me. And if you were to succeed, you could perhaps even change the way things are done here. It could be done someday…since I have seen you, I have faith in it."

I blinked a few times. It would be more than a dream come true to enroll at this school—to learn about what I loved so much to do. Then, I said, "Tell me—where exactly is this school?"

Sir Timothy smiled. "The kingdom of Camelot."


	2. Chapter 2

**Note of Caution:**

** I am taking several liberties with Arthurian legend. For this story, Arthurian legend will be limited to what was in **_**Quest for Camelot**_**. I did use several wikis to become more familiar with Arthurian legend, but I used them mainly for reference and inspiration. This story is not historically accurate at all—just wanted to give you a heads up for those of you who are not a huge fan of having the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table butchered! (One could argue, though, that legends really aren't that historically accurate anyways…)**

** Also, I am intending to have several light references at the last chapter of the story so you can see where I got some of my inspiration from. **

** One more thing: sections are divided via D#D.**

**Okay, enough of me—read on! As always, feedback is appreciated. %IF%**

Sir Timothy broke the news to my parents about this school I might attend. Dad was rather pleased, but mother was quite upset, to nobody's surprise—after all, she had never known that I had been secretly training under Sir Timothy. But the truth had to be made known somehow to her.

"My Doreen? Training as a _squire_?" she fretted. "What will people say?"

"They don't have to know," said Sir Timothy. "You could simply say she was at finishing school. And in a sense, she would be—the school would also provide her daily lessons…"

"It doesn't matter," said Daphne. "What if something were to happen to her?"

"Daphne, she is going to a school, not a war!" exclaimed Dad.

"But why do men learn to fight? To go to war!" she retorted.

"Rest assured, Daphne, that Doreen will be taken care of," said Sir Timothy. "The school has many resources—I mean, what would you expect from a kingdom like Camelot anyways?"

"And are you saying that Blyer's schools do not have resources?" snapped Daphne. "We have some of finest young fighters in the land."

"No, that's not what Sir Timothy meant," said Dad. "This is a school that would allow for Doreen to learn something that she could not here. She could become a knight!"

Daphne shook her head. "Even if she did become a 'knight', would anyone here take her seriously? She would be ridiculed!"

All this time, I had been standing near the front door, listening to the conversation through a small crack. It was actually rather amusing to hear Dad and Sir Timothy try to convince my mother that I should go to this school. At the same time, however, my mother had voiced a legitimate concern—if I were to go back to Blyer after my training, the people here would indeed not take me seriously. No army here would accept me. And suppose I wanted to take in students—parents would not let their sons train under someone like me, and certainly not their daughters.

At that moment, I burst into the room. Everyone looked up at me in surprise.

"Doreen!" exclaimed Mom. "Were you listening all this time?"

"Yes," I admitted, "but I have to say something." Glancing at everyone present, I continued. "I know that I won't have any opportunities in Blyer if I learn how to fight, but I know I'll do something with my education here."

"If you want an education, then why can't you stay here?" asked Mom.

"Because I want the chance to do something different!" I exclaimed. I knew that I was getting rather passionate about all of this, but I had to let myself be known. When she once again shook her head in disbelief, I then resorted to a sneaky technique. "You know, Mom," I said, "you said that I should be interested in finding someone to marry. Well, at this school, there will certainly be plenty of men to choose from."

Suddenly, Mom's eyes shot up at me. "Men?"

"Yes, mother, men who are training to be knights."

She then clasped her hands together. "But…men…they will certainly be rowdy men! Why would you want to be with such…"

"Now, now, Daphne, these men are training to be knights," said Sir Timothy, who was suddenly catching on to what I was doing. "They will have to learn to be respectful to women. And the men of Camelot, I heard, are quite gallant."

"But Sir Timothy," Dad interjected, "are you sure? I once heard about a knight that went rogue there…"

"That was different," said Sir Timothy. "All I am saying is that if Doreen were to find a husband, she could easily do so, as I am sure there are many good men at that school."

I crossed my arms and smiled. "Well, Mom," I said. "What do you think?"

Mom batted her eyes for a moment, not entirely sure how to take all of this. However, she then said, "Well…I suppose…if you could meet somebody…and if there are nice men…"

"So, can I go?"

She gave a reluctant sigh. "Very well. But I want you to keep me informed about all of the men there. If anyone's going to help my daughter find the right person to marry, it will be me."

At once, I threw my arms around my mother. "Thank you," I said.

"I just hope you don't learn any dirty habits from the bad ones," she said, rolling her eyes.

Sir Timothy, meanwhile, was quite happy. "That settles it, then," he said. "Your daughter shall be attending the Camelot Knighthood Academy!"

As my hugged my mother, I gazed over where my Dad was standing. He was giving me a proud yet cheeky grin.

**D#D**

Over dinner, the news broke that I was to be going to Camelot to study. As usual, the table erupted in loud chatter.

"You're leaving?" chirped my sisters simultaneously.

"But why?" asked Douglas. "You're our big sister. You can't go!"

"I won't be gone forever," I reassured him. I had to, for he was my youngest brother.

A few of my other brothers chuckled. "Are you going to learn how to breathe fire?" asked Donald.

"Donald! That's enough with the dragon jokes!" exclaimed Dad, who was obviously having a hard time eating with all of the noise.

"Maybe I might," I bantered back.

"Yeah, and she'll come back with scales and spikes too," hissed Darryl.

"I said enough with the dragon jokes! _Seriously_!" cried Dad.

"When you are there," asked Derek, "will you learn to joust?"

"Sir Timothy said that I would," I said. I had never learned jousting before, and this was something that I was highly looking forward to.

"Oooh! We must go to a match sometime!" exclaimed Dillon and Dickon.

David, who had been busy stuffing pieces of roast pork into his mouth, then said, "What kind of food do they have in Camelot?"

"They have many good farmers, so I'm sure the vegetables will be delicious."

"What? No meat?"

"Of course they'll have meat," said Mom to David, "Now swallow your food before you talk again," she said, which he did.

Damien, I noticed, had been rather silent, and I could tell he was slightly envious. "Why are you going to Camelot anyways? None of us are going."

"Now Damien," said Dad, "Camelot has a school that Blyer does not have. The Blyer Academy, however, has brought up many great fighters."

"Your father included," Mom said, shyly beaming at Dad.

"I'm sure you're not going to miss any of us while you're there," said Dominic.

"Oh no, I will!" I said. "I'm going to miss having dinners like these. I am sure that in Camelot, we'll be expected to sit in quiet, boring discourse."

"Will you write to us?" asked Delilah.

"Very often," I said. "In fact, I will address each one of you."

"But who will do our braids when you are away?" asked Danielle and Diana.

"Delilah can—she's very good at it, after all. In fact she probably braids better than I do."

"I'm afraid it's true," Delilah said, winking at me.

"So," said Damien, "when are you leaving?"

"Well, we've already sent a request letter. We just need to hear back from the school."

"Wait, so you might not be going if you're rejected?" asked Derek.

"Hurrah!" said Douglas.

I laughed. "I mean, we have to wait and see."

"You better get in," said Dominic. "If not, I'll hurt them."

"Dominic—no talking about violence at the dinner table," Mom chastised.

The entire table continued to circulate with noise. Indeed, I would miss being able to converse with my siblings. They would make me laugh no matter what kind of day I was having.

After dinner, Dad asked me if I could speak with him privately. We went outside in the cool evening to walk in our yard.

"Doreen," he said, "do you know why I allowed you to train with Sir Timothy?"

I made a guess. "Is it because you thought I could fight?"

"True," he said, "but have you been using much of your fighting skills at home?"

"Well…there was that time when a bear paraded through our yard," I said, "and I had to borrow Dominic's sword to chase it away."

"Yes…listen, even if you had the talent, I would not have let you continue to train with Sir Timothy if you were not willing to work for it."

"But Dad, I've been practicing," I said. "And I promised to do all my chores before I…"

"Which you did," he said, "and it tells me that this is something you are determined to do." He put a hand on my shoulder. "I want you to learn as much as you can at Camelot," he said. "Learn as much as you can so that someday, you can make a difference wherever you go."

"I know. When I return…"

"I don't just mean in Blyer. If there is an opportunity elsewhere, don't pass it up. It is hard to come across female knights these days." He looked up at the moon, which was rather full this night. "When your mother was captured by the dragon, many knights wanted to go save her, but they didn't dare because of all the obstacles that the castle that she was in had."

"But _you_ did," I said.

"It was not easy," said Dad, "but I knew that going into that castle would allow me to prove to myself that I had the skills to do so. And if I hadn't, I probably would have never met your mother."

I hugged Dad. "They don't call you 'Dirk the Daring' for nothing, do they?"

Dad patted my back. "You'll be a daring one as well."

**D#D**

For the next month or so, I waited eagerly for a letter to arrive. Days passed, and still no letter. I was beginning to lose hope. What if they indeed did not want me? But Sir Timothy had told me that he had explained the situation to the heads of the school, and he was confident that they would at least reply back.

Then, one day, while I was outside practicing my arrow-shooting, I heard a voice coming from the front yard. "Doreen! There's something for you!"

As I felt my heart begin to quake, I immediately dropped my bow and ran to the front yard. There was Delilah, who had a scroll in her hand. The scroll had a blue ribbon with my name painted on it. As soon as she saw me, she went to me and placed it in my hand.

"Do you think you should sit down, just in case?" she said, worried that I might not get in.

"No, it's fine. Let me get it over with," I said. And with that, I rapidly unfurled the scroll. My eyes darted across the page, but by the end of the letter, I realized that I had read so quickly that I had not taken in any of the words.

"I don't…understand…"

"Oh no," said Delilah. In haste, she grabbed the scroll from me.

"Hey there!" I exclaimed. "Give it back!"

Delilah began to read the scroll aloud as I continued to tremble all over. "To Doreen, daughter of Sir Dirk the Daring of Blyer…we are pleased to inform you that _you have been accepted to the Camelot Knighthood Academy_."

I was still shaking all over, but no longer was I panicking. It was all over—I was accepted!

"You did it, Doreen!" exclaimed Delilah in delight, and she grabbed me in a warm hug.

"I can't stop shaking…" I said.

"Because you're excited, that's why!" said Delilah. "We have to tell Mom and Dad!"

Immediately, Delilah dragged me into the house, where she announced to everyone in the house that I had just received a letter saying that I was going to go to Camelot to become a knight. Before I knew it, the house blew up in an uproar.

Dinner was a feisty party that night. Mom had made a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate. She had made a very similar one for my tenth birthday. The cake was decorated with icing that she had made to look like wildflowers. However, my siblings all knew that my favorite part of it was the cake itself, all chocolaty and smooth. It was absolutely scrumptious.

That night, I could barely sleep. Despite having been accepting, I was still in a state of disbelief. Was I truly going to become a knight, like my father and Sir Timothy? No, I had to remain calm. I was only just starting, after all. But all through the night, I could only think about how exciting this was all going to be.

**D#D**

It was only a few days before I was to begin school. I woke up early that day to relish my last morning at home for a while, and it pained me to think about leaving. Still, I knew that I had to leave.

Sir Timothy had offered to bring me to the school, so after I had eaten breakfast, I found that he was waiting outside the yard for me in a carriage. I had everything that I needed to bring—a trunk of clothes, my quiver, and several gold coins. Mom had also packed some food and told me to bring it along.

Soon, it was time for me to go. I embraced my siblings one by one, all of us crying. Mom cried the most of all. "Write to us every day, if you can," she told me as she hugged me.

I then hugged Dad, who said to me, "Remember, Doreen, to seize opportunities."

"I will," I said. "I promise."

After I had hugged him, I said one last goodbye to all of my family members. Then, Sir Timothy escorted me to the carriage and we went inside. With a start, the carriage began to move, and soon, we were off. At once, I began to miss everyone already. But then I remembered hearing that the school had breaks, so I knew I would see them again soon. And the excitement inside me was so great that it distracted me from my sadness.

I could not believe it—I was going to Camelot!


	3. Chapter 3

As we made the long trip to Camelot, Sir Timothy and I tried to pass the time by talking.

"How long is Camelot from Blyer, exactly?" I asked him.

"The last I remember, it is a three hour carriage ride," he said. This, of course, included the breaks needed for the horses.

"When did you last go there?"

"A very long time ago. If I hadn't any friends who were currently there, I probably would not have known about this school."

I was not sure how long we had been on the road, but the anticipation inside of me was building at an unbearable pace. Sir Timothy had told me plenty about Camelot already, with its mighty fortresses and fine farms and strong knights, and I could not wait to see it all.

In fact, while I had been at home waiting for my acceptance letter from the academy, I had asked Sir Timothy so many things about Camelot that I was sure I must have driven him mad. However, he was able to mask his madness well and answered all of my questions patiently. When I had asked him one day after practice about the knights in Camelot, he had told me that there were very good ones, including the famous Knights of the Round Table, who served in Camelot under its king.

"And who is the king of Camelot?" I asked Sir Timothy.

"Currently, it is King Constantine."

"Tell me," I asked Sir Timothy. "Is Camelot often in danger? Do the Knights of the Round Table go on many adventures?"

"They certainly go on adventures, but Camelot has been safe for a long time. Long ago there were times when it was not, but it is now."

Curious, I asked him, "Like what times?" Sir Timothy did not speak, so I continued to pester him. "Sir Timothy, when was Camelot not safe?"

"I don't want you to worry while you're at school," said Sir Timothy.

"But you said it is now, right? So why should I worry?"

Sir Timothy gave a tired sigh. "My friends in Camelot had written to me that they had left the kingdom for a while because it had been taken over by a tyrant king."

"You don't mean King Constantine."

"No," said Sir Timothy. "In fact…" He stopped talking once again.

"Please tell me—I won't get upset."

"Doreen—a long time ago, it was not King Constantine who ruled Camelot but King Arthur…"

"And this King Arthur—how bad was he?" I interjected.

"Oh no, King Arthur was not a tyrant!" exclaimed Sir Timothy rapidly. "In fact, he was one of the bravest kings that had ever existed. He and the Knights of the Round Table used to go on amazing adventures."

"What happened to King Arthur?"

"He is dead, and unfortunately Camelot had lost a great leader. But King Constantine, from what my friends have told me, is quite fair. He did have plenty of work to do, however, for the tyrant king had left Camelot in shreds."

"Who was this tyrant king?" I asked impatiently, for I longed to know.

"Mordred," said Sir Timothy, "but he is dead now, like King Arthur. And Camelot has been remolded back into the grand kingdom it was before." Sir Timothy then said to me, "Are you sure this does not worry you? If you no longer want to go to the academy because of it, tell me."

"No, I do," I said eagerly. "Besides, I trust that the knights of Camelot will defend us if anything should happen."

Sir Timothy gave me a small pat on my shoulder. "Don't think that anything should happen," he said. "You are going to school to learn, not to be in a war."

As I sat in the carriage, thinking about everything Sir Timothy had told me about Camelot, I wondered if I should be more worried about the dangers of the kingdom's past. Something that Mom had said to me came to mind. "But why do men go to fight? To go to war!" I was aware that what I learned at the academy would be useful if, for some reason, a war should strike. However, I knew that I would not be accepted by any army even if I did become a knight.

Something else was on my mind that bugged me. "Sir Timothy, didn't Dad say something about a knight that went rogue?"

"Yes," he replied. "One of my friends told me about him. Ruber. The Red Knight."

"What happened with him?"

"Gone as well. But that was a much longer time ago. I was only a page then."

"What about your friends in Camelot? What do they know about him?"

"None of them were in Camelot initially, so they don't know too much about him either. They told me, however, that there was a scandal involving Ruber and Excalibur. I told you about Excalibur, didn't I?"

"Yes, I remember, but you never told me what happened to it." Sir Timothy had talked about Excalibur after we had discussed the different kings of Camelot, but he had only briefly mentioned it as King Arthur's famous sword.

"When King Arthur died, the sword disappeared, and no one has seen it since then."

"No one? None of the Knights of the Round Table know where it is?"

"Nobody knows."

We had travelled for quite a distance, but soon we stopped at a stable to let the horses rest. Afterwards, we continued on. I fell asleep for most of the second leg of the journey.

Suddenly, I felt a nudge against my shoulder. "Doreen—look out the window."

I peered out the carriage window and saw a grand castle of white stone towering in the distance among the green fields. My eyes swiftly filled with awe, and my heart was leaping in enthusiasm.

"Is that Camelot?" I asked Sir Timothy.

"Yes it is."

The school, as I was told, was a little farther from the castle, but I still got to get a good close view at it. It was even mightier up close than far away—and it already so looked so grand from a distance.

Although the school was not near the castle, it was considered under the Camelot jurisdiction. When we finally reached the academy gates, Sir Timothy talked to the guards explaining that I was admitted to the school. Here, I had to show them my acceptance letter, and once they saw it, we were permitted entry.

We continued for a while until we came to a few stables. A strong-looking man with a grizzled beard came towards our carriage.

"Good day to you," said Sir Timothy to the man.

"Good day to you, Sir Knight," said the man in reply. To me, he said, "And good day to you, dear Lady."

"Hello," I said, smiling.

"You are to be a student here, I presume?" said the man.

"Yes," I said.

"Well," he said, "I will have some people help bring your belongings to your chamber. Do you know the other ladies who you'll be sharing it with?"

"Sharing?" I said. I was not aware I would be sharing a room, although now that I thought about it, it was stupid of me to think otherwise. But I had shared a room with my sisters before, so I suppose this was not going to be much different. Gaining my composure, I cleared my throat. "Oh…no. I don't, actually." The only other thing I knew about my room was the number, which had been written on my acceptance letter.

"Don't worry—you'll meet them soon," he said in a strangely cheery tone. He then called for two other men to remove my belongings from the carriage and put them on a small cart they had brought along. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an object that I did not remember taking with me—a long object covered in a dark red cloth. I was just about to inspect it when Sir Timothy called my name.

"What is it?" I asked him.

He brought me over to the cart. "I forgot to show it to you when we were resting from our journey, so I will now." He then pointed to the mysterious object. "Unfold it."

The first thing I saw when I unfolded it was the shine of a scabbard. _No_, I thought. _It couldn't be_…But by the time I had completely removed the red cloth, there before me was a sword.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Sir Timothy…what…"

"I thought that it was about time you got a sword of your own rather than having to borrow them." He lifted the sword up for me to see. "I have had it for some time, but I didn't think I would pass it on to anyone—but you must have it now."

I thought heard the sword crying for it to be tried out. "Could I…would it be okay if I…"

"Let's ask these men—I don't want them to think we are going to attack them." Sir Timothy said. He asked the man with the grizzled beard if I could take a closer look at the sword, and he said it was all right with them.

I gripped the sword's swirled black handle, which matched with the scabbard, and carefully pulled it out. It was a rather unusual blade, with its fuller embedded in a diamond shape, and the cross guard had knobs at each end. The most striking thing about this sword, however, was the blade's superb luster.

"It's beautiful," I said, trying to steady my hand to keep myself from dropping this beautiful work of art.

"It will fare you well," said Sir Timothy.

I put the sword back in its scabbard and wrapped it back up in the cloth. With all my belongings in the cart, I was ready to head to my chamber. But before I could do so, I gave Sir Timothy an enormous hug. It was only then did I notice the tears dripping from my eyes.

"Thank you," I said softly, "for everything."

"You will do well here," he said. "I am sure."

After we let go of one another, it was time for Sir Timothy to go, for the horses were rested enough and could make the journey back to Blyer. I wiped the tears from my face and smiled as I waved farewell to my mentor, and he smiled back in return as he retreated into the carriage.

As the carriage departed, a cloud of sorrow fell over me, and I began to fear that I might let Sir Timothy down and make a mess of everything he had taught me. I wished I could have said more to him before he left, but I knew that no amount of thanking him, however, would allow me to tell him how much he had helped me.

"Dear lady?" I heard a voice behind me say. I quickly turned around, only to see the grizzled man and his two assistants beginning to wheel the cart. Upon seeing me, the grizzled man's face grew dim.

"I'm sure it must be difficult for you to part with your father."

"He is not my father," I said. "He was my teacher." But now that I thought about it, I had known Sir Timothy as well as my own father. And he had been just as dedicated as a father, for he had been willing to train me the best he could—and now, he was handing my education over to others. I looked back over my shoulder, but the carriage was gone.

Sighing, I followed the men to where my new home would be.


End file.
